Mask
Mask was a deity of intrigue, trickery, shadows, and a patron deity to spies and thieves everywhere. Relationships Mask was briefly allied with Bane and before his sacrifice to Shar he was allied with the drow god Vhaerun (the two benefited mutually by using similar symbols and rituals). His most hated enemy was Cyric but he was also hated by Waukeen and Selûne. Worship Mask's church was governed by a philosophy that honesty is almost never the right course of action and those who were powerful enough to take it deserved wealth. The church was set up into different factions led by leaders known as Demarchs or Demarchesses, with one larger overarching faction devoted to deceit known as The Gray Ribbon. The lower followers of Mask were often informants that would give leads to the Demarchs and Demarchesses in their pursuit of court gossip, leads on treasure locations, and all manner of other secrets. Since Mask's death the church still operates in the form of a more secular criminal organization. Beginning of his Downfall His downfall would be predicted for him in a series of visions in which he also saw the fall of the Gods and the multiverse at the hands of a new entity known as Cyric. He found himself obsessed with at the very least saving the other deities from this coming threat and he assumed the form of a weapon and gave himself (over a series of discoveries, thefts, murders, and so-on) to a halfling named Sneakabout, who in his visions was among the first murdered by the mortal Cyric. The Evils of Godsbane Mask did not succeed in preventing the halfling's death and Cyric seized his weapon form, which he had placed so much power inside that he couldn't change to another form. He found himself stuck. Mask tried in vain to influence events around him and at several points attempting to alert his travelling companions Kelemvor and Midnight (who would both also ascend to godhood). Things came to a headway when Cyric finally enacted the first of his plans and slew the God of Murder Bhaal in order to usurp his portfolio and ascend to godhood, using Mask's power to claim his own. Cyric renamed the sword Godsbane in honor of this kill. Cyric's first action in godhood was to venture to the realm of Myrkul and take over his entire portfolio. Mask's power was now further dampened by the force of Cyric's power which prompted Mask's lover Leira to intervene. Unfortunately when the time came, Mask was used to kill the one he loved. When confronted by his companions, Cyric used the sword to slay Kelemvor and then, realizing that some entity in the sword had hidden Kelemvor's spirit far from him and had actually stolen part of Cyric's power with it (his domain over dead souls and dominion over Myrkul) Cyric split the sword in two, freeing Mask who vowed revenge. Finding Allies and Sabotage Mask attempted to solicit the help of Baravar Cloakshadow who was once close to Leira, but the gnome refused, instead threatening Mask and calling him out as Leira's betrayer and vowing to destroy Cyric on his own. A desperate Mask turned to Bane, who also had cause to hate Cyric and the two planned several successful attacks on Cyric's followers. When Cyric created the great beast Kezef in the image of Fenrir, Mask attempted to manipulate the beast to turn on its master but instead was mauled and nearly killed. The weakened Mask then interrupted a ritual of Cyric's to use the pieces of the slain goddess Mystra to create a magic tome that would proclaim Cyric as the divine god of gods. The unfinished book was so unstable that it only lasted a few moments, but that was long enough for both Cyric and Mask to read it. Mask became so weakened that he lost his domain over intrigue and almost his entire godhood. Cyric on the other hand lost his mind. Death Mask was called to the home of Shar, a goddess he owed much to (although he knew not why he had this debt). Shar revealed that she was his mother and that all he had done was to herald her return in order for her to return balance to the planes. Mask gave his godhood and his blood to Shar to ensure that she could be strong enough, and she considered the debt repaid. There are rumblings in the Astral Plane that Mask is to one day return, bringing with him a new cloud of darkness. Many of his former followers still uphold his original philosophies and await his return. His old palace in the Shadowfell remains deserted as it has for centuries and there are many who believe it to be full of plunder, but getting to it has proven incredibly difficult if not impossible.